Dubai officials issued arrest warrants for 11 suspects alleged to be behind the Jan. 20 murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a top official in the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The movements of the accused were caught on surveillance tape, which caused a sensation after it was released. TIME looks back at past assassination plots that have gripped the world.

Mossad vs. Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh?

By Alyssa FetiniWednesday, Feb. 17, 2010

Getty

Authorities in Dubai have issued international arrest warrants for 11 suspects alleged to be behind the mysterious Jan. 20 murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a top official in Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

The suspects, believed to be members of a hit squad, entered the country using fake European passports. They were then captured thanks to surveillance footage, which showed the group following al-Mabhouh around the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel where he was staying, disguised in wigs and false beards. After determining al-Mabhouh's room number, the assassins checked in directly across from him, broke into his room while he was gone and suffocated him on his return.

Hamas has accused Israel's secret service, the Mossad, of orchestrating the assassination. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman refused to comment on the incident, saying of the nation's intelligence matters, "Israel never responds, never confirms and never denies."